Meanings
plural real lives
- countableuncountableLife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment; often used in comparison to events depicted in drama.
Near-synonyms: real world, reality
Synonyms: real world, reality
- broadlycountablefigurativelyproscribedsometimesuncountableLife outside of the Internet.
Near-synonyms: real world, reality, real reality (intentional pleonasm under certain circumstances)
Synonyms: real world, reality, real reality
- broadlycountablefigurativelyuncountablePressing day-to-day commitments.
I kept meaning to look for a better-paying job, but real life intervened.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounLife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment; often used in comparison to events depicted in drama.
nounLife outside of the Internet.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Arabic حَيَاة وَاقِعِيَّة, حَيَاة حَقِيقِيَّة
- حَيَاة وَاقِعِيَّة (ḥayāh wāqiʕiyya)life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
- حَيَاة حَقِيقِيَّة (ḥayāh ḥaqīqiyya)life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Chinese Mandarin 現實生活 /现实生活, 真實生命 /真实生命
- 現實生活 /现实生活 (xiànshí shēnghuó)life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
- 真實生命 /真实生命 (zhēnshí shēngmìng)life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
- 現生 /现生 (xiànshēng)life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Dutch het echte leven
- het echte levenlife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Finnish tosielämä, todellisuus
- tosielämälife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
- todellisuuslife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
French vie réelle, vraie vie
- vie réellelife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
- vraie vielife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
German wirkliches Leben, Reallife
- wirkliches Lebenlife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
- Reallifelife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
- echtes Lebenlife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Greek πραγματικότητα
- πραγματικότητα (pragmatikótita)life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Hungarian való élet
- való életlife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Icelandic raunveruleiki
- raunveruleikilife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Indonesian kehidupan nyata
- kehidupan nyatalife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Italian vita reale
- vita realelife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Japanese 実生活, 実際の生活
- 実生活 (jisseikatsu)life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
- 実際の生活 (jissai no seikatsu)life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
- リアル・ライフ (riaru-raifu)life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Korean 실생활, 리얼라이프
- 실생활 (silsaenghwal)life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
- 리얼라이프 (rieollaipeu)life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Polish życie, prawdziwe życie
- życielife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
- prawdziwe życielife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
- reallife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Portuguese vida real
- vida reallife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Romanian viața reală
- viața realălife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Russian реа́льная жизнь, реа́л
- реа́льная жизнь (reálʹnaja žiznʹ)life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
- реа́л (reál)life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Spanish vida real
- vida reallife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Swedish verkliga livet
- verkliga livetlife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Thai ชีวิตจริง
- ชีวิตจริงlife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Turkish gerçek hayat
- gerçek hayatlife outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Ukrainian реа́льне життя́
- реа́льне життя́ (reálʹne žyttjá)life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
Cite this entry
real life. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/real%20life
“real life.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/real%20life. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “real life,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/real%20life.
Source: real life on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.